Entangled
by sushisama
Summary: Based of the movie Tangled.  Matthew is a kidnapped prince kept in a tower with his father and ever-growing hair.  One day, a strange new man jumps into his window, and he takes it as his chance to get free.  Rating will probably change.
1. Prologue  Not My Story but Close Enough

**Title. **Entangled**  
>Chapter. <strong>Prologue**  
>Chapter Title.<strong> Not My Story, but Close Enough**  
>Authour. <strong> ~sushisama~**  
>Fandom. <strong>Hetalia – Axis Powers**  
>Pairings.<strong> PruCan (Gilbert/Matthew) mainly, with USUK (Alfred/Arthur), mentions of AusHun (Roderich/Elizaveta). Any other pairings, I'll warn about as they come up.**  
>Warnings. <strong>First warning, as with all my fanfics, this is a story about shounen-ai/yaoi. You know, boy-on-boy action? Mmm, boy-on-boy action. Also, there will be some cursing, a dash of violence, and failed attempts at humour.**  
>Disclaimer. <strong>The characters of Hetalia do not belong to me, nor am I making money off this story. Also, same goes for the story of Tangled, I'm just using it as a base.**  
>Notes. <strong>Wow, it's been too long. Eventually, I'll get back to my _Tapestry_ story, but that'll be a while. You know, when I'm not obsessing over Hetalia anymore. Anyway, this story is based off the Disney movie _Tangled_, because when I watched it, Flynn Rider just screamed, "Don't I make you think of Prussia with how awesome I am?" So, this idea came to mind. Squee. The prologue and epilogue will be first-person from Gilbert's perspective, like in the film. And there will probably be bonus chapters of little scenes in my head that must be written (must be!), but don't fit in the actual story.

**::*~~*::**

This is the story of how the awesome me died.

But don't be discouraged! This is still a great story and all, with action, adventure, suspense, and romance. I know, romance isn't really all that awesome. Except when I'm in it. Which, in this tale, I am involved in some of it, so that part will be somewhat awesome.

This story isn't mine, though. It's actually about a boy named Matthew.

And it starts with the sun.

See, the sun once dropped a bit of itself from the sky, to give us a gift. This gift was a gorgeous flower that shined with a golden hue, the only thing that could compare to the beauty of the actual day star. You could be a hater of flowers, and still smile in appreciation when you laid eyes on it. It was that significant and stood out that much.

The gift from the sun also had another benefit besides its outstanding beauty. It could heal the wounded and the sick. The sun gave us this gift in the hope it would be used wisely. But that's not what happened. Instead, an aging wizard found it, and used it to turn himself young again. Once he found the flower and used it the first time, using a song to bring its powers to life, he became greedy. The sun had given us all that flower, but for hundreds of years, this wizard, Father Francis, hid it and kept it to himself.

During this time, a kingdom grew not far from where the sun gifted the land. It spanned several lifetimes, several seats of nobility. The current royalty were a good pair of people, King Roderich and Queen Elizaveta. Everyone loved them, for they were just and kind.

The queen was with child, and everyone waited happily for the birth of the new line of royalty. But she fell sick only weeks before she was due. The king could only stand by in despair, as nothing the healers from lands all over could do brought her health. He fretted for both his wife and his unborn child, until a soothsayer came to them. Desperate, King Roderich listened to the man, though he had no high hopes for what was to be said.

"There is a way to heal your wife," the man from the orient said. He swung his thin ponytail over his shoulder as he regarded the distraught king. He stared at him with brown eyes over the light of a candle as they sat at a lone table in a room away from the ailing queen. "The sun gave your kingdom a gift, long before the first building was erected." He gestured out the window, into the forests that surrounded the island that made up the kingdom. "Go find the flower that is gold as the sun. This is how you will save your wife and children."

King Roderich knew it was silly to believe in such things, but when situations were dire, people started looking for a miracle. That flower would be their miracle. So everyone in the kingdom, not just the guard, went to find the flower, as all the queen's subjects wanted to see her and the child well. They searched and searched, but after three days, no one could find the flower.

It wasn't until the night Francis had to go back to his flower that the captain of the guard and his son were able to find it. You see, Francis had thought he left his precious plant covered and hid by a fake bush he'd built, but as he heard the knights coming, he toppled it over in his haste to flee.

It was the captain's eight-year-old son, Arthur, that came upon the flower. (I only mention this un-awesome name because he does come up in the story.) He called quickly for his father, and they pulled up the plant, root and all, to bring back to the waiting king.

Back in the palace, the China-man waited for the flower that he could crush it and mix it properly. Once he made the potion, he gave it to the king for delivery to his wife. In the queen's bedroom, the captain guard, his son, the soothsayer, and a few other choice people were allowed to witness the king giving the tonic to the queen. Almost the moment she was done consuming it, all the eyes in the room shone with delight at her obvious recovery.

Shortly after, the queen gave birth to twins. They looked alike for the most part, except the younger of the two, Alfred, had stunning blue eyes and sandy-blond hair while his elder brother (by only about ten minutes), Matthew, had violet-blue eyes and golden hair, just like the flower that had saved their mother. The kingdom rejoiced at their birth, and even threw a huge party that lasted a week. When the festival was over, the king and queen lit two lanterns and set them into the sky.

But it wasn't long before Francis (you know, in case you weren't keeping up, the wizard who was hiding the flower?) found what happened to his precious spring of youth, and wanted it back. He stole into the twins' nursery and hovered over Matthew's crib. He swatted at the mobile that hung over the baby's head, pushing aside the stuffed hanging bear, cupid, yellow bird, and horse. Francis grabbed a bit of the golden strands as he began to sing his song, holding a pair of scissors.

"_Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine_..." Matthew's hair began to light up like the sun as the melody came from Francis. The wrinkled skin on his hands and face started to tighten, taking on the form of his younger self. He opened up the blades, readying them to snip a bit of the babe's short hair. "_Make the clock reverse, bring back what_-" The moments the blades came together and parted the strands from scalp, the glow vanished from the bit he held, turning the bunch into the same shade as Alfred's.

Francis dropped the bit he held, a glare coming to his blue eyes. He knew what he had to do. He picked up the infant, who instantly opened his eyes and started to cry. Alfred, hearing his brother distress, woke up and started crying as well. The king and queen flew into the room only to see the backside of Francis as he escaped through the window he'd crawled in, still clutching the boy to his chest.

The wizard took Matthew to a tower in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains. Only Francis knew the way in and out, and kept his precious 'flower' away from the world, letting his hair grow out, longer and longer. And each time Francis brushed the boy's hair, his new son would sing for him, and he would receive the gift of youth from the glowing locks.

And Matthew would commonly ask, "Papa, why can't I go outside?"

"Because ze world is a scary place, wit' selfish and cruel people. So you will stay in 'ere, and I will always protect you from ze 'arsh world. Do you understand, ma fleur?"

"Oui, papa."

But that didn't stop Matthew from his curiosity. Every year on his birthday, the king, queen, prince, and the rest of the kingdom would light lanterns in the hope it would lead the lost prince back to his true family. This tradition continued for several years, and each year, Matthew would watch from his window as the lanterns went by. And each year, Arthur would stand beside Prince Alfred, promising to one day find his brother, like how he had found the flower years before. And Alfred would hold his hand and smile, because he believed in the green-eyed boy. (Yes, this is important, too, no matter how much of a loser Arthur is.)

So, eighteen years later, Matthew was still in that same tower, never having left, but always wanting those lights. And it would be the curiosity of those lights that would lead him home, and, ultimately, to my death.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations.<strong> (I fear this fanfic will have a lot.)

_Ma fleur_ = My flower. (French)_  
>Oui<em> = Yes. (French [You never know, someone may not be familiar!])

And another note. Gods, I'm full of them. Probably because I haven't be on in forever. Oh, look, I'm rambling! And you all have to suffer.

There's a reason I actually mention the items on the mobile. If you watch the movie, the things hanging from Rapenzul's mobile are a duckling, horse, blue bird, chameleon, and cupid, all images that show up in the film. So, I followed along. Because I actually give way too much thought to all my stories. Ha.

Anyway, I'll post the next chapter in a couple of days.

Read and review, please? Always makes me want to write faster!


	2. One I Could Get Used to this View

**Title. **Entangled**  
>Chapter. <strong>One**  
>Chapter Title.<strong> I Could Get Used to this View**  
>Authour. <strong> ~sushisama~**  
>Fandom. <strong>Hetalia – Axis Powers**  
>Pairings.<strong> PruCan (Gilbert/Matthew) mainly, with USUK (Alfred/Arthur), mentions of AusHun (Roderich/Elizaveta). Any other pairings, I'll warn about as they come up.**  
>Warnings. <strong>First warning, as with all my fanfics, this is a story about shounen-ai/yaoi. You know, boy-on-boy action? Mmm, boy-on-boy action. Also, there will be some cursing, a dash of violence, and failed attempts at humour.**  
>Disclaimer. <strong>The characters of Hetalia do not belong to me, nor am I making money off this story. Also, same goes for the story of Tangled, I'm just using it as a base.**  
>Notes. <strong>Okay, so instead of a couple days, it's one. After all the story alerts and favourites, I got excited and finished this up. Took some thought to make things work out, hope you like how I changed the story. There are some things that are still like the movie, as I really enjoyed certain scenes/lines, but it's still different in its own ways. So! On with the story.

**::*~~*::**

The shutters flew open as a small white bear came dashing out and hid behind one of the many flower pots on the window sill. His tiny tail stuck out from one side, but it was the best he could do. He wasn't impressive in size for being a bear, only being the size of a kitten and all, but he still wasn't tiny enough to completely disappear when he wanted. He used one of his back paws to close the shutters and waited.

Several moments went by before there was a loud 'aha!', and the shutters were flung open once more, an excited teenage boy flinging himself out. His long, golden hair wrapped around him, and his spectacled blue-violet eyes glanced over the valley below his tower before scanning the window sill. He looked around for several moments, a large smile on his lips, a long curly strand of hair drooping over his face.

"Hmm, is Kumajiro not out here?" the boy, Matthew, asked to seemingly no one. He started to walk away, his arms behind his back. "Well, I guess I got to go find him somewhere else..."

The bear, Kumajiro, smirked, and what was probably a laugh came from his throat. His eyes went wide when he was suddenly pulled into the air. Looking at his feet, he saw long blond hair tied around one of his paws. The little bear never understood how his owner was able to control his long locks like he could, but he supposed the mix of having his hair for so long and being no where but this tower for eighteen years gave him more than enough time to learn how to use his hair however he wanted.

"Found you, Kuma," the boy said as he showed up back in the window. He sat down outside in the sun, the closest he had ever been to the outside world. He picked up Kumajiro from the air and put the bear in his lap. "How about we go again, eh?" he offered as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Kumajiro stared at him from his place on the boy's legs, a blank look on his face. "Well, fine. What do you want to do?"

Kumajiro's ears perked up. He turned his eyes toward the valley and jerked his head toward the ground below. Matthew rolled his indigo eyes. He grabbed the top of the bear's head and twisted it back towards him. "No, we aren't going out there." He beeped the bear on his nose. "I like it in here, and so do you."

Kumajiro's blank look continued.

Matthew, smirking, grabbed his pet and brought him inside. He set out to do his chores with the aide of Kumajiro. The two did what could have been hours of work had it not been their daily activities. It only took the better part of an hour to do the laundry, dusting, the sweeping, the mopping, and anything else to make sure the three rooms in the tower were spotless.

Once done, Matthew went about to find anything to keep his mind and body busy. He read a set of books his father had given him, the ones he had read everyday since he originally received the tomes five years ago, that were about certain geology, botany, and cooking.

After reading his books, Matthew then baked, sewed, knit, made various arts and crafts, played more games with Kumajiro, and would break to spend time brushing his hair that stretched over almost all the tower (which took FOREVER). One of the last things he did was paint. Well, paint where he could. The tower was starting to really fill up with his different paintings and drawings. But he always seemed to find some last place. This day he worked on a night scene over the fire place. Instead of stars, though, he painted the lights that he always saw on his birthday. Probably the reason he was thinking about it now of all times was in a few days, it would be his eighteenth birthday, and he wanted to see them up close.

Though, in all fairness, Matthew had always wanted to see the lights. He knew they weren't stars, and they weren't some sort of other odd event like meteors. It happened every year, the same time, same day. There had to be a reason. A part of Matthew felt the lights were for him, as silly as that sounded. Maybe now that he was older, his father would take him...

**::*~~*::**

Two large figures ran across the tiled roofs, some of the tiles falling off under their heavy footsteps. Behind them, a much thinner and paler man followed, his steps with far more grace than his two companions. The black long sleeved shirt he wore blew in the winds as he ran, his footsteps quiet. A little yellow bird flew beside him, keeping up easily. The two ruffians ahead of him, one male and one female, stopped at a skylight, working on prying it open.

The albino male came to a rest next to a tower, over-looking the entire kingdom. The little bird rested on his shoulder, a low chirp coming from its throat. The three stood atop the palace, an excellent view of the beautiful island and all its streets and buildings, full of liveliness. The kingdom was especially bustling, getting ready for the festival of lanterns. Crimson eyes flew across the scene, a large grin coming across his lips, as he relaxed against the spire. It was breath-taking, really.

"Ryder!" came Ivan's voice as the two got the glass open. He glared at the distracted silver-haired man, hoping the daggers he was digging in his back would catch his attention.

The Prussian Ryder held up a hand to silence his acquaintance as he continued looking across the countryside. He took in a deep breath, and let it out contently. "Wow, I could get used to this view." He straightened up, taking himself off the tower. "Yeah, used to it." He adjusted the satchel on his side as he said, "Guys, I've decided." He paused for effect before regarding his companions. "I want a castle."

The woman, Natalia, rolled her eyes before going back to propping the glass open. Ivan continued to glare at Prussia, willing the man to focus on what was important. "Ryder, if we pull this off, you can buy your own castle."

Prussia shrugged in a slight agreement, smiling still. "Yeah, I guess I-"

Before he could finish the thought, a rope was tied about his middle and he was thrown through the skylight. Experience and skill kept his mouth shut, as he flew down the length of the throne room. His feathered companion stayed a float, waiting for his owner to return. The two above pulled tight the rope just above the small pedestal before the king and queen's seats. Upon the cushioned platform was a magnificent jeweled crown meant for the missing prince.

Prussia grabbed the crown and turned his body slightly to give Ivan the thumbs up. As he did, he heard one of the guards sneeze.

"Bless you," came the habitual phrase from Prussia.

"Thank you," was the common response from the guard. It was a brief moment before the knight realised what was happening, and as he whirled around, polearm in hand, he only caught the glimpse of the Prussian Ryder making his escape on the roof.

"We should run," was the first thing Prussia said to Ivan and Natalia before he followed his own advice. As he ran, he shoved the crown into the satchel, making a beeline for the kingdom's limits. The yellow bird flew after him, and his two companions followed him closely, not about to lose sight of their pay-off in the hands of someone known to not be trustworthy.

**::*~~*::**

As the trio ran off, a pair of emerald eyes stared after them, his thick eyebrows furrowed in rage. He left the balcony he had been standing at, grabbing his sun-crested armour as he got ready to leave the room. Outside the door, he could hear the marching of three other knights heading his way, probably to collect him for whatever was going on. He could tell from the little bit he'd seen that the trio running away were from various wanted posters, known to be thieves. He could only guess what they were stealing this time.

"What's going on, Iggy?"

Arthur Kirkland, captain of the palace guard, turned to his bed, where Prince Alfred sat, watching him expectantly. No one was to know the teenager was in his room, it was far too improper. Even if Arthur was Alfred's personal knight, there was too many implications from the two being alone with each other in Arthur's private quarters.

And most of those implications would be true. More reasons to make sure no one knew of Alfred's presence in his room.

"I'm not sure, but I think I just saw the thieves that are on all those wanted posters out there," Arthur responded. He put a finger to his lip, telling his blue-eyed friend to stop any further questioning. "I'll go find out what's happening, give me a moment," he said through a whisper. Arthur stepped out the door quietly to meet the other guards before they could burst into his room.

"Captain!" one of the three knights addressed.

"What's happened?" Arthur asked sternly. He was finishing putting on his armour, tying the sides up.

The three guards came to a stop in front of him, saluting as they did. Arthur waved at them, and they put their arms down. "Sir, Prince Matthew's crown has been stolen! There's already a group after them, but, sir, we knew you'd want to... um, sir?"

But Arthur was already back in his room, shouting 'Dismissed!' as he went to get the rest of his things together.

Alfred eyed him curiously as he frantically went about the room. He heard the quick retreating footsteps of the other guards, knowing he was allowed to talk again. "Arthur, what is it?" He started to get up from the bed.

"Wait until I leave, Alfred," the captain commanded. He strapped his sword to his side and made to exit the room again, but hesitated as he touched the door knob. He turned back to the prince, crossing the short distance to him, and reached up to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Alfred leaned into the kiss excitedly, expecting more, when Arthur pushed him away.

"Your brother's crown has been stolen," Arthur said matter-of-factly. Alfred frowned. Before he could say anything, though, the knight cut him off: "I'm going to go get it back. I promise."

Alfred smiled. He leaned down and kissed Arthur's forehead. Even though the knight was eight years older, Alfred was quite a tall fellow. "I know you'll get it. You keep all your promises."

Arthur returned his smile before rushing out of the room. Alfred was mostly correct. He kept all his promises, aside from one: he had yet to find Alfred's older twin, Matthew. But one day he would. For now, though, he would get the crown back from those thieves.

**::*~~*::**

Matthew put away his paints after finishing his night scene. He was starting to get excited as he looked at the clock. It was almost two in the afternoon, and he knew his father would be home any minute. He stood up from where he sat, dusting off his pants. Kumajiro looked up at him, something like a smile on his muzzle.

"Today's the day, Kumajiro," Matthew said happily. "I'm going to ask him, and we'll go see the lights..."

As if on cue, he heard his father's voice at the base of the tower: "Oh, Mathieu! Let down your 'air!"

Matthew smiled broadly and ran to the large bay window at the north of the tower. Knowing not to be seen, Kumajiro ran to hide in the large fireplace, rolling quickly in the soot and ash to blacken himself and hide. "Coming, papa!" the boy shouted as he threw his hair on the hook above the window. The length fell down the side of the tower and pooled at the bottom where his father waited. The taller blond made a loop at the base of Matthew's hair and stepped one foot in the loop, tugging gently. Matthew started to crane his father up, using the arm-strength he'd gained from years of doing this and other heavy tasks.

As he made it to the window, Francis stepped into the main room, while Matthew unwrapped his hair from the hook. Francis set down the basket he was holding as he stretched, his age showing some.

"Papa, I've been waiting for you to get home, I've been wanting to talk-"

Francis turned to the boy with a wide grin on his lips and his blue eyes bright. He grabbed the boy and pulled him in front of a full-body mirror that was in the living area. "You see zat? I see a 'andsome, confident, wonderful man." He was preening in the reflection as he spoke. "Oh! And you're 'ere, too!" He laughed, the arrogant laughter filling the tower.

Matthew flinched a little, somewhat losing his courage at his father's odd antics. It wasn't unusual, his papa did have a rather strange sense of humour, but it never played well on the boy's nerves.

From the fireplace, Matthew heard the little bit of movement, and saw Kumajiro ushering him on with a paw. Sighing, the golden-haired boy turned back to his father. "Papa, there's something I want to talk to you about..."

"Oui, oui, ma fleur, but before we talk, papa's feeling a little run down." Francis was still in front of the mirror, examining each of his wrinkles. "Sing to me, yes? Zen we shall discuss."

"Oh, yes, papa!" Matthew almost shouted in his excitement. He scrambled around the living area, setting his father's favourite chair in the middle of the room, followed by his stool, and then he shoved the usual brush into Francis' hand as he pushed the older man into his seat. He sat on the stool, throwing a length of his long hair into his father's hand, and started to sing all too quickly: "_."_

All the while, Francis was dumbfounded at his son's actions. He caught up quick, though, brushing Matthew's hair quickly to get the glow and rejuvenation from the spell. As soon as Matthew stopped singing, he looked at the boy, his surprise still etched on his face. "Mathieu, what 'as gotten into you?"

Without hearing his father, though, Matthew excitedly bounded into Francis' personal space, almost knocking the Frenchman out of his chair as he rested on the armrest.

"So, papa, as I was about to say, it's an important day coming up, and in case you didn't remember, it's my birthday!" He smiled brightly, his blue-violet eyes sparkling.

Francis, though happy with his son's enthusiasm and closeness, still pushed him away and back onto the stool for a little bit of breathing area. "Oh, is it? Zat cannot be! I remember clearly, your birt'day was last year."

"See, papa, isn't that the weird thing about birthdays? They 'appen every year!" Matthew sighed, relaxing fully into his seat. "Well, anyway, what I really want this year – actually, what I've wanted for a few years now..."

"My dear Mathieu, you're mumbling. Please speak up and be clear!" His father wasn't being condescending or anything, he was actually being very playful. "I'm teasing, of course." He stood up and poked Matthew on the nose.

"Right, um..." Matthew watched as his father went to the discarded basket and started to unload a few flowers from it. He set them aside, preparing herb jars for the specific plants. "Well, papa, what I was getting at is that I know what I want for my birt'day."

"And what is zat, mon cher?" Francis asked without even looking back at his son.

Matthew smiled, his courage coming back, though he didn't really seem to notice his father was only half-listening. He twirled his hair and threw it to catch the edge of the cloth that covered his newest painting. "You see, papa, what I really want..." He pulled his hair, revealing the night scene covered in the lights he always saw on his birthday. He stared at it happily, admiring the little Matthew sitting on a tree in the corner of picture. He didn't even seem to mind he really hadn't caught his father's full attention yet.

"I want to see the lights," Matthew finished, his blue-violet eyes smiling behind his glasses.

Francis turned to address his son, only to stop at the sight of his son's artwork. He had to admit, Matthew did have an eye for beauty, and he could never bring himself to paint over the various pictures littering the walls and floors of the tower. He scanned over the painting, realising instantly what the lights were. But it wasn't something he was about to admit to.

"You mean ze stars," Francis said before turning back to his plants.

"Non! Stars don't go like this, papa!" Matthew said insistently. "Trust me, I've had the time to study them!" He pointed to a star chart at the top of the tower. "Non, these are different... These lights..."

"Please, ma fleur," Francis said as he turned completely to his son. "I knew one day you'd want to leave ze nest, but zat is not such a good idea, n'est-çe pas?" He approached the boy and touched his cheek affectionately. "There are some terrifying things out there, mon cher."

"I know, you say zat a lot, papa, but..."

Francis shushed him with a finger to his thin lips. "Trust me, it's a scary place out zere. Zere are poisonous plants, ruffians, thugs, snakes... oh, and cannibals! Zere are always cannibals!" As if to make a point, Francis grabbed one of Matthew's brushes and painted a rather crude sketch (especially compared to his son's work) in red paint of a gruesome man with pointed teeth. "And men with pointed teeth!"

Matthew's smiling face took on the expression of horror. His father had spent so much time telling him scary stories of the outside world, but he had hoped with Francis with him, it would be different. "Papa, I know, but you can take me! Won't that make it better?"

The Frenchman gave his boy a sad smile and nuzzled his hair. "It doesn't change zat ze world is a 'orrible place, mon fils. I barely survive sometimes! And look at you!" He gave him a once over. "You're not very worldly, love. You're clumsy, under-dressed-" Matthew scoffed at this, as it was his father's fault he only wore the loosest of purple shirts and tight slate pants, with no shoes or anything else. "-gullible, naïve, immature." He started to play absentmindedly with Matthew's long hair. "The list goes on!"

Matthew looked up at his father with a pleading look. "But, papa, how can I learn these things if I don't go out there?"

"I know you're eager, Mathieu, but it's not wort' ze risk. It would be better to just stay wit' me. Don't worry about zose lights! Zey're not'ing impressive." He hugged the boy close to him, possessively holding onto his hair. "So, we'll stay 'ere. Okay?"

The boy sighed into his father's chest and returned his affection, wrapping his arms around Francis' back. "D'accord," he finally agreed.

"And one last request, ma fleur..."

"Yes, papa?"

Francis pulled away to meet his son in a meaningful gaze. "Never ask to leave zis tower again, oui?"

Matthew frowned but conceded, "Oui, papa."

The father smiled warmly at his son before kissing him on top of the head. "Je t'aime, ma fleur," he spoke softly.

"I love you more, mon père," Matthew replied, nestling into his father's chest again.

"I love you most," Francis said as he settled into the embrace with Matthew, a contented sigh leaving his lips.

**::*~~*::**

They had been running for almost an entire day. Prussia and his companions were starting to run on empty. They only got a handful of ten minute breaks here and there, before the palace guard caught up with them again and started the chase anew. It was only by luck that they got a two hour break at the dead of the night. Even the horses needed a break. The trio were by a river and able to catch their breath and get drink before running again.

A couple of times Prussia got to see the guard chasing them. At the head was the man he knew was the captain, Kirkland. His emerald eyes bore into him angrily under large, furrowed eyebrows. If the albino didn't know better, he'd think Arthur had a personal agenda against him, not just for stealing the crown. Like he'd kicked his puppy or something. He didn't like the scrutiny he got under those eyes, and certainly didn't want the end of his sword anywhere near him.

The early-afternoon sun bore down on the trio as they found themselves running from the guard again. They had gone far into the forests of the kingdom, well beyond the island nation and almost to its borders.

As they ran along, Prussia happened to notice a set of wanted posters tacked on different trees. He halted, reaching for the paper. His visage was inked onto it, but the man frowned at it. "Oh, seriously? Totally not awesome!"

"What is it, Ryder?" Ivan asked. Him and Natalia had stopped a bit away and were bent over, breathing hard.

Prussia showed the two the poster, his face that of disgust. On it, his bust showed, but his nose was horribly dis-proportioned. "All of these posters, and they still haven't gotten my nose right!"

Ivan cocked an eyebrow, utter disbelief on his face. "Why do you care? It's just a poster, da?"

"Of course you're not worried!" Prussia pointed at the poster below where his had been. In it, the two ruffians were drawn, exactly as they looked. "You two look amazing!" The bird on his shoulder chirped in agreement.

"There they are!"

The trio turned in time to see one of the knights on a ridge they'd just passed, staring down from a top a chestnut horse. Coming from behind, a brilliant white stallion stomped to the front, his saddle and adorned with the sun crest of the kingdom. His rider was none other than Arthur Kirkland, glaring down at the three thieves, his eyes glued to the satchel at Prussia's side. He reared the horse back before tromping down the small hill at them. Prussia and his companions needed no further rushing, and were soon running again as the albino stuffed the wanted poster of himself in his pack.

The three barreled through some bushes, buying them some time ahead of the guard. They traveled a bit further before coming to the bottom of a cliff. It wasn't that large, but they couldn't simply jump over it, and the sounds of the galloping behind them meant they had no time to run around.

"Okay, lift me up, then I'll get you guys," Prussia offered as he ran to the rock wall. He waited for the help of the other two, but turned to find them just staring at him. "Um, guys?"

"Give us the satchel, then we'll get you up," Ivan commanded, Natalia nodding behind him.

"Really? You guys don't trust me?" They just stared at him. "Ouch. Fine." He handed the satchel to Ivan before the three of them made a tower, Natalia on bottom and Prussia on top. He jumped up the ledge and made it to the topside of the wall.

"Now get us up!" Ivan yelled.

Prussia looked over the edge and grinned. "Sorry, not awesome enough for me to get you guys," he said through a slight chuckle. He swung his hand out, showing the satchel in it. "Besides, my hands are full." Laughing, he turned and ran off, his little bird making some sort of giggling-chirping noise with him.

As Prussia ran along, his bird nestled into the scarf around his neck, he could hear the horses catching up to him. How they'd gotten away so far was beyond him, but he wasn't about to be caught now.

"Fire at will!"

A cringe went up the albino's spine when he heard that. Behind him, the knocking of crossbows was evident, and he slid under a fallen tree to escape them. Most got stuck in the bark, but a couple he noted were in the bag at his side. While still running, he took the bolts and threw them into the bag. As he went, he heard the hoof stomps veer off, probably in an attempt to flank him.

Prussia saw his chance in the form of a low-hanging, sturdy-looking vine. He jumped up and grabbed it, forcing himself to twist around the large tree the plant was connected to. It came around the other side, and he noticed he was aiming for one of the smaller knights that had brought up the rear. Grinning, he straightened out his legs, knocking the soldier off his steed. He cheered silently, but the moment threw off his timing. He didn't let go of the vine in time to gain the empty saddle, but instead he dropped behind the rider of the horse before it.

It took a moment before Prussia noticed who was in the saddle. It took the knight the same amount of time to notice the thief, and the moment he did, he halted the steed. Large eyebrows glared back at the albino, and Prussia just chuckled nervously.

"Anyone tell you how ridiculous your eyebrows are, Mister Knight?" he quipped. The little yellow bird chirped its odd laugh along with its owner, as Prussia dug his heels into the white stallion to make it gallop faster. Arthur pulled on the reins to halt the beast again, and during the distraction, neither noticed the root sticking from the ground. The horse tripped over it, flinging both riders off. Prussia instinctively brought his hands to his neck, wrapping around the tiny chick in his scarf, and curling onto his side. Arthur wasn't so lucky, landing face first in the dirt.

Both men righted themselves at the same time, and Prussia was the first to notice the satchel had disappeared from his flank. He looked all around, desperately looking for the crown. His crimson eyes came to rest on the brown leather, hanging precariously from a fallen tree... which was hanging precariously off a cliff. Scrambling to his feet, he ran to get the satchel before the knight realised what was going on.

Arthur rubbed his head as he sat up. He turned his gaze to the Prussian Ryder and laid eyes on the bag they were both after. Jumping to his feet, he rushed after the albino, knocking into him and pushing him forward. They were both close to the edge, and it didn't really bother the knight if the thief fell to his death. If he died here made no difference: if Arthur caught him, he'd only be hanged anyway. He'd make sure of it. No one stole from the royal family, especially when he knew it upset his dear Prince Alfred.

Prussia gasped as he fell forward, but quickly grabbed onto the tree's underside, his survival too strong to go down so easily. He scampered along the bottom of wood, edging toward the branch where his bag hung from. His bird flew alongside him, chirping in alarm. Above him, Arthur had withdrawn his sword from its sheath and was walking along the tree, trying to hack at the Prussian Ryder.

The albino was quicker at dodging being hurt than Arthur was inflicting it, and within seconds, found his hand on the satchel. He held it aloft, shouting his victory. Arthur glared at him, raising his sword high, when a cracking sound alerting both of them. Both emerald and crimson stared at the base of the tree, where it was breaking off the edge of the cliff. Both pairs of eyes widened as they could feel the wood give way.

And then they were both falling. And screaming.

A rock jetting out the side of the cliff split the log in half, throwing the knight and thief at two ends of the valley below. Thanks to a grassy incline, Prussia's fall wasn't as bad as it could have been. When he was back on his feet, he hugged the satchel, happy it was still beside him.

He looked around, noticing that his friend was no longer flying around him or in his scarf. "Gilbird!" he yelled. There was no response. He shouted the name again. This time, he could hear yelling in return, of the captain trying to find him. Glancing around again, Prussia ran further into the forests of the valley. He'd have to hide for a while, then he could look for Gilbird.

Prussia came upon an alcove covered by several vines. As he approached it, he could feel the exhaustion from the day's chase catching up with him. He didn't know how much more he could take. He placed his hand on the vines, ready to lean against what he thought to be a wall to rest for a bit, but he tripped up slightly. There wasn't a wall, but instead a small cave leading off. He eyed it warily.

"I know you're here, Ryder!"

It was eyebrows again! _Does he just never give up? Why's he so big on getting this fucking crown back?_ Gritting his teeth, he pushed aside the vines and went into the cave. It let out into another valley, this one surrounded by large cliffs on all sides. In the middle of the grassy field was a tall spire with one obvious window. Hearing Arthur's frustrated yell, he ran to the tower, taking the bolts he'd collected earlier from his bag. He latched himself onto the stones using the arrows and between momentum and his last bits of adrenaline, he was able to scale the tower.

Bursting through the window, Prussia fell into the tower. He had no care if it was occupied or not, but it couldn't be, with no obvious doors. It was probably some remnant of a castle from long ago, this was just the only part that didn't fall. The room was dark with no light other than what came through the portal. He was on all fours for several moments, just panting and catching his breath.

When he finally had his breath again, he stood up, holding up the satchel. He opened it up, the reflection of the glass and gold brushing over his face. He grinned, so happy with his find.

"Kesesese," he snickered. "Finally, just you and me, beautiful."

Suddenly, there was a pain in the back of his head, and he absently heard the 'thunk' that went with the ache.

And, if it weren't for the fact he was seeing stars and his ears were ringing a bit, he could have sworn there was a girlish shriek as he connected to the stone floor, black overcoming him.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations.<strong>

_non_ = no_  
>mon fils<em> = my son._  
>mon cher<em> = my dear._  
>d'accord<em> = okay  
><em>je t'aime<em> = I love you._  
>mon père<em> = my father.

A note about Matthew's accent: his kind of will come and go. My theory is though he's learned how to speak from Francis, he's mostly been talking to himself and Kumajiro, so he developed his speech mostly on his own. And, yes, I understand that, in reality, Francis would have probably just taught his son French, but everyone needs to be able to understand Matthew. So, Francis taught him both.

And, yes, Arthur is this story's Maximus. Meaning, Arthur is a horse. Think about that!

Gods, this was longer than I've written in a while. Thanks to all for the favourites, story alerts, and reviews! I will do shout-outs next chapter. Hopefully I can have it done with a few days.


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